Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Dermatology (Expert Forum)
Changing moles
Answered by
Alan Rockoff, MD - dermatology, Child Skin Problems
The Rockoff Dermatology Center
Brookline - MA
Welcome to the DERMATOLOGY FORUM! Questions in this forum are answered by Dermatologists from St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, under the direction of Andrew Alexis, M.D., M.P.H.
Changing moles
by venusenvy23, Nov 15, 2006 12:00AM
A few years ago, I noticed a raised hard bump on my upper arm. It was not painful, red or inflamed. It was the size of my pinky fingertip and the same color of my flesh. After a few weeks of the bump not going away, I went to the doctor and he said it was nothing to be worried about. I now have three of the bumps on my upper arms, in various stages of evolution. The first one I noticed is flat, semi round, and unevenly brown. The second one is pinkish brown and still quite raised. A third is somewhere between the two. Melanoma runs in my family; my maternal great-grandmother lived to be 86 and was still having moles removed until her death. I am fair-skinned, have blue eyes and of course was exposed to the sun quite a lot as a child. I am a 26 year old female. I have had numerous sunburns, including a bad one 2 years ago, due to a sunblock malfunction. I was burned so bad, I have freckles on my shoulders now, that I didn't have before. Should I seek a second opinion, or asked to be referred to a dermatologist? Or better yet, is this something I shouldn't even be worried about? I have asked numerous people and no one can recall having ever had new moles growing the way I have. I cannot recall the exact date, but it was probably four years ago when I noticed the first one. Thank you in advance for your response.
Doctor's Answer
by Alan Rockoff, MD, Nov 15, 2006 12:00AM
, Nov 15, 2006 12:00AM
New spots and moles of various sizes and shapes can grown on people till age 40 and beyond. The ones you describe sound like nothing significant. Most primary doctors can recognize spots that look suspicious enough to refer to a dermatologist. If you're still worried, you should see a dermatologist.
By the way, melanomas don't come in threes--if all three bumps look the same, it's almost inconceivable that they are all skin cancers.
Take care.
Dr. Rockoff
By the way, melanomas don't come in threes--if all three bumps look the same, it's almost inconceivable that they are all skin cancers.
Take care.
Dr. Rockoff
Interesting comment that "melanomas don't come in threes".